Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-01-14

grotto In the thick darkrkess, plunging and
diving At every stroke, 81 king my mead
and hands against Jagged 1stones anu shsrp
corners, clutching at last isomethinS in my
fingers aud dragging itlup with all my
might J spoke, l cried aloud, but there
was no answer l was alfne In the pttchy
blacknoss with my burden, aud the house
was 50o yards away. Suu;glirg still, telt
the ground beneath my fec, saw ray oi
mooulight-the grutto wdonod and the
deep water became n broad aud shallow
brook rs stumbled over the stones aud AT
last laid MarGatets body On the bank IN the
pafk beyond.
Ay, Willie, ~ the clock struck said
the voice OF Judith, the Welsh nurse as
she bent down aud looked at tho " hite lace.
The old woman must have turned hack nnd
followed US, seen the accident aud slipped
out by the lower gate OF the garden. "Ay,
she grusncd, "you have fed the Woman OF
tue WA'er this night Willie While tue
clock was striking "
scarcely heard her as knolt beside the
liieless body OF the woman loved, rhaihnE
| the wet white temples ard gazing Wildly INTO
the wlde-starlng eyes remember nn'y the W
| hrst returning look of consciousness the
| bist heaNing breath, the first movement OF
| those dear hands stretching out towards me
Tnat Is not much OF story, you say. IL Is
| the story OF my life. That Is all II does hHl
! pretend to I've anything else. Old judith
| says my luck turned on that summer night
| when was struggling In the water 90 save
| all that was worth living for. \ month later
tnere was stone bridge above the Grott" anu
| Margaret and stood on 1t aud looked up Al
| toe moonlit castle rs we had done OuC5 leinte
| and as We had done many times since / or
| all those things happened ten years ago last
| summer, ana this is the tenth Christmas Eve
we have spent together by the roaring logs
ia the Old hall, talking Ot old times, ana
every year there are more Old times to TAX
| o. There are curly.headed boys, too Win
red gold hair and dark brown eyes Ike their
| mother :, aud a little Margaret, with solemn
! LlA h Ike NINA Why could she lOL
look ike her mother, too, a. well rs the resi-
Of them
The world is very bright al this gLoriou.
Christmas time, and perhaps there Is niue
use IN cNuug up the sadness OF long ago uu-
less 1t bs to make the Jolly hreiight seem
more cheerful, the good wiie.s face look glad
der aud TO give the childreus .aughtera mei'
rler ing by contrast with all that IS gone
Perhaps, too, some sott-iacGi, lisaess, meIan'
choly youth, who feels that the world Is very
! hollow and that lite is like perpetual funeral
service, Just as l used to feel myself, may
take courage from my example and LANlh
found the woman of his.heart, ask her t1
; marry him afler half an hours acquaintance
! But on the whole, l would not advise any
3 man to marry, f1r the simple reason that rt
J man Will ever ind wife like mine, anc
/ being obliged to go further h5 will nc1essa
, riiy fare worse. My wife has done miracles
: but Will not assert that any other woman Ii
aue TO follow her example.
! Margaret always said that the old place
| WAS OSaulllul, aui thAt ought % De IiGHs
| | OF IL dare say she is right She has ever
I more imagination than /. But have gooc
: answer and plain one, which Is this, ina
4 | all the beauty of the castle comes from her
i She has breathed upon 1t al. as the chltdFeI
, | blow upon the cold glass widow panes II
e winter aud As their warm breath crySta.iG''
: | into landscapes from fairy land, full Of eN
1 ! Quisite shapes and traceries upon the b.act
i Surface, 80 her spirit has transformed ever
\ gray stone OF the old towers, every ancIen
4 tree and hedge In the gardens, every though
Il in my once melancholy self Al. that was Oh
r. is young, and all that was sad is Lad, and
; am the glAddest of all. Whatever HEAVIER
9 may be, there is no earthly paradise withou
woman, nor is there anywhere place :
Y desolate, so unutterably miserable that
n woman cannot make it seem heaven to III
: man she loves and who loves her
n l hear certain cynics laugh, aud cry that a
Z | that has been said before, DO not laugh
Q my good Cynic. You are too small man
Il | laugh az such great thing a. love. Prayer
= have been said before now by many, an
q perhaps you say yours, too. do not thin
q they lose anything by being repeated, nc
Il | you by repeating them. You say that IN
10 world Is bitter, and full OF the waters OF bi
< teruess. Love, and 50 live that you may /
10 lUyed--the world will turn sweet FOR yoI
)t and you shall rest like me uv the Waters
10 Paradise.